Is there anything better than a sweet, cold, slightly dripping ice cream on a hot summer’s day? Or on a nice, warm spring day? Maybe on a lovely autumn day? Or, for that matter, in winter when you’ve had more than enough of mulled wine already, thank you very much?
Yeah, we thought so.
Thankfully for all ice cream enthusiasts among our readers, the city we love and know so well has quite the choice of really tasty, really unique, and really traditional ice cream parlours to choose from. And no matter whether you’re a fan of the classics, dig special creations, are intrigued by combinations that you have never heard of before, or just want to satisfy your vegan ice cravings in style – there’s at least one place catering to your preferences in town.
And so, without further ado, here’s a scoop (pun fully intended!) of the best ice creams you can have in Vienna:
Get the Best Ice Cream in Town
Bortolotti
One of the classics of Vienna’s ice cream vendors, the family run Bortolotti venues are always worth a visit. The ice cream on offer is among the best, the service is impeccable, and their biggest bonus? Most of the parlours are located along the Mariahilferstraße and are therefore the perfect places to sit down and let your shopping-tired feet a well-deserved rest while you’re reviving yourself with some mega-yummy ice cream. A must – not only in summer!
Where: Mariahilferstraße #22: Mariahilferstraße 22, 1070 Vienna; #66: Mariahilferstraße 66, 1070 Vienna; #94: Mariahilferstraße 94, 1070 Vienna; Mariahilferstraße C&A: Mariahilferstraße 96–98 (inside the C&A shop), 1070 Vienna; Thaliastraße: Thaliastraße 71, 1160 Vienna
Web: Portolotti
Eis Greissler
Once you’ve seen the lines that regularly form in front of these small ice cream venues, you won’t need to read any more endorsements for the Eis Greissler. But if you by chance haven’t (have you even been in the city yet?!), then let us tell you this: here, ice cream is made from the very best organic ingredients and a big dollop of creativity. If you’re in the market for crazy combinations and some real special flavours, the Eis Greissler is your place. Our tip: try the goat cheese flavour in combination with something fruity. Heaven!
Where: Rotentrumstraße: Rotenturmstraße 14, 1010 Vienna; Mariahilfer Straße: Mariahilfer Straße 33, 1060 Vienna; Neubaugasse: Neubaugasse 9, 1070 Vienna
Web: Eis Greissler
Eissalon Daniel
No, the Eissalon Daniel isn’t the prettiest venue. Nor is it the sort of shabby chic that some interior designer has dreamed up. But what it is is a place that offers a lot of incredible ice for a really, really good price. All ice creams are handmade and based on a secret family recipe, and … you can most certainly taste that. We’re very much in love!
Where: Hütteldorfer Straße 70, 1150 Vienna
Web: Eissalon Daniel
Eissalon Schwedenplatz
This ice cream parlour is one of the classics and ranks very high up Vienna’s most beloved places to cool off on hot days. And no wonder, seeing that the place has been around since 1886 and is still run by the original owner’s family. All the ice cream served here is beyond magical, and it’s hard to narrow the incredible choice (over 100 flavours all together – yes, you have read that right!) down even far enough for multiple visits, let alone one. This is a true come-back-again-and-again-and-again place!
Where: Franz-Josefs-Kai 17, 1010 Vienna
Web: Eissalon Schwedenplatz
Ferrari Natural Gelato
There’s ice cream, and there’s Italian ice cream, and then, there’s Ferrari Gelato. Just as it’s namesake is king among cars, this ice cream place is king among parlours. The all-Italian crew makes some of the best ice you will ever get your hands on. Creamy. Sweet. Fruity. Nutty. It’s everything you dream of in ice cream, and then some. Our absolute favourite? Pistachio, hands down!
Where: Annagasse 3a, 1010 Vienna
Web: Ferrari Gelato
Gefrorenes – Eis wie damals
At the Gefrorenes, literally: frozen & an old German term used for ice cream, history repeats itself. In the very best way possible. Traditional forms of ice production meet traditional ingredients meet traditional flavours (even though some are more “traditional Austrian” than “traditional ice cream”, like the Sissi Mandeln (Empress Sissi Almonds)) meet a super cute venue. And for all of you who don’t necessarily need to have ice, they do serve superb eclairs as well. Yum!
Where: Währinger Straße 152, 1180 Vienna
Web: Gefrorenes
Gelateria Hoher Markt
Let’s get the most important thing out of the way first: you can get Vienna’s most delicious chocolate ice cream right at the Gelateria Hoher Markt. No ifs, not buts, just trust us. That being said, this ice cream vendor is also a great place for everyone who enjoys all of the straight-forward flavours (let’s say, strawberry, nougat, lemon, vanilla), but isn’t averse to tasting a few less common ones (like kiwi, peach brandy, or zuppa inglese) as well. One thing is for certain: whatever ends up in your ice cream cone, it’s going to taste heavenly!
Where: Hoher Markt 4, 1010 Vienna
Web: Gelateria Hoher Markt
Gelateria La Romana
Yes, the La Romana is a franchise, but that is exactly what makes it so good. Part of a true Italian ice cream dynasty founded in Rimini, this parlour only serves the best ice cream made from authentic ingredients and based on top-secret old family recipes. Yes, that’s true Italian quality right there. And while the taste of the goods on offer would be reason enough to visit, let us help you make the choice by pointing out that the cups here are all 100% recyclable. In other words? By licking this ice cream you’re doing a good deed for the environment. And who doesn’t like that?!
Where: Stiftgasse 15-17, 1070 Vienna
Web: Gelateria La Romana
Gelati da Salvo
There is very little we can say about this gem of an ice cream parlour except: you won’t regret going there! Ever! The lovely venue in Vienna’s 19th district is the perfect place to relive memories from childhood trips to the Italian riviera and the wonderful ice you have noshed on there. All the classics taste just as you remember them doing in Italy, and on top of that there’s always at least one surprising flavour to try and fall in love with. An example? Well, pumpkin. Who knew pumpkin ice was a thing? And, for that matter, such a very, very, very yummy thing?
Where: Obkirchergasse 26, 1190 Vienna
Web: Gelati da Salvo
Leones
With their first venue opened in 2015, the Leone family and their -by now- three locations are the very successful newcomers of Vienna’s ice cream scene. What makes this parlour so special is the fact that they offer just twelve flavours, but know how to make those count. All of their very yummy creations are handmade from the very best ingredients, and are changed regularly, if not daily. Another stand-alone feature of these venues? They use the pozzetti, the original Italian way of storing ice creams by keeping them covered with a stainless steel hood.
Where: 1010: Freisingergasse 1, 1010 Vienna; 1020: Praterstraße 16, 1020 Vienna; 1080: Lange Gasse 78, 1080 Vienna
Web: Leones
Schelato
If unique flavours, surprising ingredient and (at times) daring combinations are your thing, then the Schelato (yes, that’s a play on the Italian gelato) is your place to be. You want to know what you’re potentially getting yourself into? Well, the classics, obviously, but then there’s also things like beetroot-poppyseed, turmeric, cucumber-ginger, or magnolia blossoms. And you know what? Despite our scepticism, everything tastes really, really awesome!
Where: 1040: Schleifmühlgasse 11, 1040 Vienna; 1080: Lerchenfelder Straße 34, 1080 Vienna; 1100: Antonie-Alt-Gasse 9, 1100 Vienna
Web: Schelato
Sweet Hell
Despite its name, Sweet Hell actually is a bit of heaven on earth. But if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’d almost definitely pass the venue by without giving it a second glance. A black facade decorated with red flames? This place can only be a somewhat seedy bar that is crowded with rockers, right? Wrong! What it is, is the most unique ice cream vendor in the whole city. An ice cream parlour that looks nothing like a gelateria, and serves some of the tastiest creations – in fittingly black cones, by the way! Our favourite? The Caprese – buffalo mozzarella with tomato and sweet basil pesto. Yes, really! And for those 18 and over? The Gin ice, hands down. And if you’re unsure? All of the flavours can be tried before buying, as the owner wants to make sure every guest actually leaves with something they love.
Where: Jamie’s Italian: Dr.-Karl-Lueger Platz 5
1010 Vienna; Nineteen: Döblinger Gürtel, Stadtbahnbogen 186, 1190 Vienna; Sweet Hell: Wiedner Hauptstraße 81, 1050 Vienna
Web: Sweet Hell
Tichy
There is very little that needs to be said about Tichy’s ice cream parlour except: ice apricot dumplings! Yes. The Austrian classic (Marillenknödel, english: apricot dumplings) reimagined has been and still is the reason why the Tichy Eissalon is “worldfamous in Austria”, as the Viennese like to say. What you get when you order these Viennese classics? A vanilla ice cream “dumpling” with a heart of apricot that is covered with grated hazelnuts. It’s a delicious treat and something you definitely shouldn’t miss out on when in Vienna. A word of warning, though: it’s always a good idea to plan in some extra-time when going to the Tichy, as there usually is quite a line waiting for their Eismarillenknödel-fix.
Where: Reumannplatz 13, 1100 Vienna
Web: Tichy
Trento
Run by a branch of the Bortolotti family, this “transdanubian” ice cream parlour most definitely deserves its place in our ranking. With a slightly futuristic interior (the venue has been renovated a few years ago and has lost a bit of its original charm in the process, while it gained a lot of modernity in the process), ice that is prepared fresh on a daily basis, and a truly magnificent taste (no wonder as it is based on a top-secret family recipe), the Trento is the perfect spot to stop when you’re in the area. Or to plan a trip to.
Where: Schüttauplatz 2, 1220 Vienna
Web: Trento
Tuchlauben Eis
A true institution in Vienna’s inner city, the Tuchlauben ice cream vendor is one of the great levellers. Here, below a truly stunning chandelier, you can see high-flying business men in bespoke suites enjoying a sweet treat next to an over-excited, flip-flop wearing tourist-group. And they all love the goods on offer equally. As we do. Legend has it, that there’s a super-duper nougat flavour hidden away in the freezer that is only brought out for those connoisseurs in the know, but as we’ve only heard about it on the grapevine, we can’t confirm or deny anything. Or can we?!
Where: Tuchlauben 15, 1010 Vienna
Web: Tuchlauben Eis
Veganista
Vegan ice cream is boring, you say? It doesn’t taste as good as real ice cream, you say? It isn’t as creamy you say? You’re categorically wrong, we say! And the Veganista stores are living prove of that. No matter if you’re vegan yourself, or just want to know what the hype is about, we’re sure you’ll end up loving the texture, flavours and all-around yummyness of the goods on offer just as much as we do! Some of our all-time favourites? Oatmeal-cinnamon, Piña Colada (sweetened with Xylit instead of real sugar – as some flavours are), and the Harry Potter special edition Crumbledore (cashew-lemon with passion fruit sauce and homemade crumble). Oh, and then there are the ice cream sandwiches, and if we say one more word about them, we’ll have to run out and get a box full, so… go and try for yourself!
Where: Taborstraße: Taborstraße 15, 1020 Vienna; Ungargasse: Ungargasse 55, 1030 Vienna; Operngasse: Operngasse 34, 1040 Vienna; Margaretenstraße: Margaretenstraße 51, 1050 Vienna; Alserbachstraße: Alserbachstraße 5, 1090 Vienna; Amerlingstraße: Amerlingstraße 19, 1060 Vienna; Neustiftgasse: Neustiftgasse 23/3, 1070 Vienna; Döblinger Hauptstraße: Döblinger Hauptstraße 57, 1190 Vienna
Web: Veganista
Vidoni
The Vidoni is another one of Vienna’s classic ice cream places. But with a very modern twist. Here, all flavours are created from organic ingredients, all of whom are also as locally sourced as possible (fruit tend to come from the Burgenland, while poppyseeds are from Lower Austria, and the Waldviertel to be exact). And as if that wasn’t enough already, let us just mention that all flavours are vegan, and quite a lot of them are also sweetened with Stevia instead of sugar. And then, there’s the flavours themselves. Yes, of course, all the classics are covered, but there’s also quite a few modern-creations to be had: for example Earl Grey, oat-vanilla, or pistachio-pumpkin. Intrigued? Yeah, and rightly so! Our tip: on each season opening and closing day there’s free ice for as long as stocks last! Weeeeeeh!
Where: 1030: Landstraßer Hauptstraße 2c, 1030 Vienna; 1190: Cobenzlgasse 7, 1190 Vienna
Web: Vidoni
Zanoni & Zanoni
If you have been to Vienna and haven’t had an ice cream at Zanoni & Zanoni on the Rotenturmstraße, then you haven’t been to the city properly. And that goes for tourists and locals alike. We personally don’t know anyone who hasn’t had the experience of being greeted with a forceful “Prego!” yet, and even if we did, we would make sure to take the poor soul to the Zanoni as soon as possible. Fortunately, the vendor is open all year round, serves yummy treats beside its famous ice cream (the profiterole are too good to be true!), and welcomes guests from early morning to late at night. In other words, it’s the perfect place to soothe acute cravings. Our special tip? Check out the tiny Zanoni frozen yoghurt parlour right across the street as well! Very yummy, and the lines are way shorter there as well 😉
Where: Lugeck: Lugeck 7, 1010 Vienna; Burgring: Burgring 1, 1010 Vienna; Meinl am Graben: am Graben 19, 1010 Vienna
Web: Zanoni & Zanoni
